Just going to create one big ol general thread instead of always creating a new one each year.

2009 is on the way and Spring Practice are around the corner

WE ARE PENN STATE

2009 Schedule
September 5 Akron
September 12 Temple
September 19 Syracuse
September 26 Iowa
October 3 @ Illinois
October 10 Eastern Illinois
October 17 Minnesota
October 24 @ Michigan
October 31 @ Northwestern
November 7 Ohio State
November 14 Indiana
November 21 @ Michigan State

Don't like have 4 in a row at home to start the year. Worried they'll get too comfortable being at home before they play on the road. Not to mention I don't like having Eastern Illinois on the schedule. Although they still have a marquee game with Ohio State later.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Lasch Football Building was alive with excitement Saturday as more than 30 children tried on helmets and shoulder pads with the Penn State football team as part of The Penn State Dance Marathon and Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The 37th annual Penn State Dance Marathon began Friday in the Bryce Jordan Center to raise funds for children with cancer. Nicknamed "THON," the event is the result of a full year of fundraising by Penn State students for pediatric cancer research and treatment at the Hershey Children's Hospital. More than 700-plus THON dancers were on their feet for 46 consecutive hours.

The nation's largest student-run philanthropy, a THON record $7,490,133 was raised this weekend, nearly $900,000 more than the 2008 record of $6,615,318.0 in 2008. THON has raised more then $59 million for the Four Diamonds Fund since its inception in 1977.

It wasn't just the BJC that was full of fun and smiles on THON weekend. The Lasch Building became a dream come true to a number of boys and girls and their families. Approximately 25 Nittany Lions players served tour guides for the families. Among them were: All-Big Ten quarterback Daryll Clark (Youngstown, Ohio), linebacker Josh Hull (Millheim), linebacker Michael Mauti (Mandeville, La.) and tailback Evan Royster (Fairfax, Va.).

Eight-year-old Janae Holmes was among the THON children who had their wish granted by Make-A-Wish by meeting some of the members of the Penn State football team and getting a tour of the football building. Janae, dressed with Penn State stickers, glitter and ribbon in her hair, looked the part of a true Penn State fan.

"She went through chemo and lost all of her hair, so she has come a long way [with her hair in a ribbon]. A little bit ago she decided to donate her hair and looks to do it again," said mom, Melissa Griffith.

"Janae was so excited to find out that she got the football tour as her wish," said mom, Melissa. "We know that the football tour is a popular event and not every child gets to do it, so we are lucky. The whole family was just as excited as she was. It is great what these guys do for the kids."

Her older brother, Skylar, mother; Melissa Griffith and Joe Griffith joined Janae on her tour. Skylar was also having the time of his life running on all the cardio equipment and playing catch with Mauti in the halls.

Janae was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a form of cancer that attacks the body's immune and blood-flowing systems, in July 2004 after her mother brought her to the doctors thinking she had a cold. The family would later get the news that Janae had a four-inch mass in her chest.

"She was four when we found out she had cancer and now, she has been in remission for four years, and her remission began in February, so having THON in February is extra special for us," said Melissa Griffith. "We are lucky to be where we are right now, she has so much energy and fight in her that someone her age shouldn't have to have. She is still having some problems with her lymph nodes due to the amount of radiation that was done on her chest."

The tours of the football building began in the squad room where each family was paired with one or two football players who then paraded them around into every room that the kids asked to see. Players took the kids and their families into the locker room to try on some equipment and learn the ritual behind the big "S" in the middle of the room.

"If you step on the "S" you have to do two push-ups. It's just rule, you can't step on it," said Mauti, who played last season as a true freshman.

Tours continued to the weight room, where the kids showed their strength going one-on-one in pull-up competitions. They explored each position unit's meeting room, adding their own x's and o's onto the white boards, sat down in the study area and to the lounge area where the kids could play some foosball and pool with some of the players.

One of the highlights for the families was the trip into Coach Joe Paterno's office. Each child got their picture taken behind his desk and some left notes to him so that he knew his fans were thinking of him

"This is even cool for me," said Royster. "I have only been in this office once before."

The tour also served as a chance for the parents to take a step back, and watch their child explore, being able to keep their mind off their health situations. Cameras and camcorders were in hand the entire time, catching every behind-the-scene secret and documenting every minute.

"The day went by so fast. I am so thankful that we finally had the chance to do this. Janae likes everything about THON and loves every moment, but I think this will be a memory that stays with her forever," said Joe Griffith.

The tours concluded in the locker room with ice cream and cookies served by Royster and Brett Brackett (Lawrenceville, N.J.), as last minute autographs and pictures were taken. A group picture was taken above the "S" in the locker room, to document the group as a whole. Each child left with a goodie-bag of Penn State football merchandise, including posters and folders.

"Being someone these kids look up to is a great feeling. I mean, they are the heroes, not us," said Mauti. "What they go through and are still going through is unreal, and for them to come in here with the energy and excitement that they did just makes all the difference. I am glad that we got to make the wishes of these kids come true, and I hope they know how much it meant to us that they wanted to meet us."

The day went by fast, but the memories will last a lifetime for the families and the players. Though it was sad to say good-bye, smiles continued to take over the locker room as hugs were exchanged and promises of meeting up at THON were expressed.

"Will you come watch me dance tonight at THON?" asked Janae to Mauti. "I will be on stage at 8 o'clock, I better see you. If you can't come you have to watch it at THON.org."

With a smile and a laugh, Mauti knelt down, hugged Janae and promised to watch her dance on stage.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - A pair of Penn State's first team All-Big Ten performers have been named to the preliminary Watch List for the 40th Rotary Lombardi Award.

Linebacker Navorro Bowman (District Heights, Md.) and defensive tackle Jared Odrick (Lebanon) are among the candidates for the prestigious award, which is limited to down linemen and those defensive players who line up within five yards of the football.

Penn State is the only Big Ten school and one of only eight schools nationally with more than one candidate on the 48-player list. Bowman and Odrick comprise half of the players from Big Ten schools on the Lombardi Award Watch List.

Candidates earned a place on the preliminary Watch List by earning All-American honors or by being named to their respective all-conference first team as selected by the conference's head coaches in 2008. The Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List will be updated prior to the start of the 2009 season in order to identify those players who have been selected as pre-season honors candidates.

Penn State All-American Dan Connor was a Rotary Lombardi Award semifinalist in 2007. Nittany Lion All-America linebacker Paul Posluszny was a finalist for the honor in 2005 and 2006.

Bowman capped an outstanding sophomore season by posting a Penn State bowl record five tackles for loss (minus-21 yards) vs. USC, tying the Rose Bowl record set by Ohio State's Andy Katzenmoyer in the 1997 game. Bowman recorded his fourth sack of the season among his eight tackles (seven solo) in the contest to earn a spot on the ESPN.com All-Bowl Team.

A starter in the final 10 games of 2008, Bowman finished the season with a team-leading 106 tackles (61 solo) and had 16.5 tackles for loss (minus-50). A first team All-Big Ten selection, the athletic and instinctive Bowman recorded four sacks, forced two fumbles, recovered one fumble, returned an interception 29 yards and had five pass break-ups last year. The former Suitland High School standout was fifth in the Big Ten in TFL and tied for No. 8 in tackles.

The Nittany Lions' defensive line will build around Odrick, who will be a senior this fall. Also a first team All-Big Ten honoree in 2008, Odrick is a strong and physical presence. He made 41 tackles, with 9.5 TFL and 4.5 sacks, good for second on the team. A starter in 11 games last year, the former Lebanon High School All-American should be a candidate for additional post-season accolades this season.

The 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award recipient will be announced December 9 at a dinner, which benefits the American Cancer Society, in Houston.

The Nittany Lions (11-2) won their second Big Ten title and Bowl Championship berth in the past four years during the 2008 season. Penn State was No. 8 in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, earning its 22nd final Top 10 ranking under Coach Joe Paterno. The Lions won at least 11 games for the 14th time under the Hall of Fame coach.

Penn State has earned one of the nation's Top 10 records since the start of the 2005 season, posting a 40-11 (78.4) mark, good for No. 9 nationally. The Nittany Lions have won 42 of their last 53 games overall, dating to the final two games of the 2004 season.

Entering his 44th season as head coach and 60th on the Penn State coaching staff, Paterno returns 37 letterwinners for the 2009 campaign. The Nittany Lions will begin spring practice later this month.

this is freakin why maryland will never contend for a title....they can't even recruit players in thier own damn back yard !!! damn cheap alumni, needs to open thier check books ...pisses me off...i hate penn state !!!

__________________“If tyranny and oppression come to this land it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.” ― James Madison

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the Constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first." -Thomas Jefferson
"The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." - Thomas Jefferson

They lured Walt Harris out of retirement to be their QB coach (and they have a Sr QB with a couple years starting experiencefor him to mold), and Shane Montgomery (Miami OH's old HC) as OC. The offense is returning a bunch of guys, and they only lost 1 Olineman. JD Brookhart has recruited well in the last couple years, and they have a brand new stadium opening (which has no impact on the PSU game, but has really helped recruitment out).

Not going to impress anyone with our out of conference schedule again. Not sure what Michigan's expectations are, but if last year is any indication we should be favored in every game except for maybe OSU. Even if we run the table, we will more than likely still be on the outside looking in.

Not going to impress anyone with our out of conference schedule again. Not sure what Michigan's expectations are, but if last year is any indication we should be favored in every game except for maybe OSU. Even if we run the table, we will more than likely still be on the outside looking in.

Unless they're as convincing in each game and don't have that one game trip up.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., - The Nittany Lion football team will culminate spring drills with one of the highlights of the Penn State sports calendar, the Blue-White Game presented by Donate Life Pennsylvania, on Saturday, April 25.

Kickoff is tentatively scheduled for 2:00 p.m. in Beaver Stadium.

As in previous years, there will be no admission or parking fee for the Blue-White game.

The Blue-White Game is one of the nation's most popular spring football contests. More than 70,000 loyal and enthusiastic Penn State fans have attended the game the past two years, including a record crowd of 73,000 last year. More than 40,000 fans have attended the game in 10 of the past 13 years, with rainy conditions during the other three contests.

Numerous events will be held in conjunction with the Blue-White Game to celebrate Penn State football, including the popular pre-game autograph session with the players, the announcement of the spring football award winners as well as the recipients of the PNC Bank "Player of the Game" from last season.

Other events held in conjunction with Blue-White Weekend presented by Donate Life Pennsylvania will be announced at a later date. The Nittany Lions will begin spring practice later this month.

The Nittany Lions (11-2) won their second Big Ten title and Bowl Championship berth in the past four years during the 2008 season. Penn State was No. 8 in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, earning its 22nd final Top 10 ranking under Coach Joe Paterno. The Lions won at least 11 games for the 14th time under the Hall of Fame coach.

Penn State has earned one of the nation's Top 10 records since the start of the 2005 season, posting a 40-11 (78.4) mark, good for No. 9 nationally. The Nittany Lions have won 42 of their last 53 games overall, dating to the final two games of the 2004 season.

Entering his 44th season as head coach and 60th on the Penn State coaching staff, Paterno returns 37 letterwinners and 10 starters for the 2009 campaign.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., - The Penn State football team will begin on-field preparations for the 2009 campaign on Wednesday with the opening of spring practice.

Since classes resumed in mid-January, the Lasch Football Building and Holuba Hall have been hubs of activity, with the Nittany Lions hard at work with off-season weight training and conditioning. Penn State will culminate its 15 allotted spring practices with the highly-anticipated Blue-White Game presented by Donate Life Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 25. Kickoff is at 2:00 p.m. in Beaver Stadium. The contest can be heard on the Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com, the official website of Penn State Athletics.

Admission and parking for the Blue-White game are free as in previous years.

A little more than four months after the Blue-White game, Penn State opens its 123rd campaign, hosting Akron on Sept. 5. The Nittany Lions begin their 17th season of Big Ten Conference competition on Sept. 26, hosting Iowa.

The Nittany Lions (11-2) won their second Big Ten title and Bowl Championship berth in the past four years during the 2008 season. Penn State was No. 8 in the final Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls, earning its 22nd final Top 10 ranking under Coach Joe Paterno. The Lions won at least 11 games for the 14th time under the Hall of Fame coach.

Penn State has earned one of the nation's Top 10 records since the start of the 2005 season, posting a 40-11 (78.4) mark, good for No. 9 nationally. The Nittany Lions have won 42 of their last 53 games overall, dating to the final two games of the 2004 season.

In his 44th season as head coach, and 60th on the Penn State coaching staff, Joe Paterno welcomes back 37 letterwinners and 10 starters from last year, as well as nine additional players with starting experience. The nine additional players with previous starts have a combined total of 47 amongst them.

Penn State returns 18 letterwinners on defense (four starters), 17 on offense (five starters) and punter Jeremy Boone, as well fifth-year senior linebacker Sean Lee, who missed last season with a knee injury. The Nittany Lions have lost the services of 20 lettermen for spring drills -- 11 on offense, eight on defense and placekicker Kevin Kelly.

Bowman and Odrick are on the pre-season Watch List for the 2009 Rotary Lombardi Award. Clark was a semifinalist for the Maxwell and Davey O'Brien awards last year and Royster was a semifinalist for the 2008 Doak Walker Award.

The Blue-White Game is one of the nation's most popular spring football contests. More than 70,000 loyal and enthusiastic Penn State fans have attended the game the past two years, including a record crowd of 73,000 in 2008. More than 40,000 fans have attended the game in 10 of the past 13 years, with rainy conditions during the other three contests.

Numerous events will be held in conjunction with the Blue-White Game to celebrate Penn State football, including the popular pre-game autograph session with the players, the announcement of the spring football award winners as well as the recipients of the PNC Bank "Player of the Game" from last season.

Other events held in conjunction with Blue-White Weekend presented by Donate Life Pennsylvania will be announced at a later date.

Season tickets are available for the 2009 season. The Nittany Lions will host three teams that played in bowl games in 2008: Iowa (Sept. 26), Minnesota (Oct. 17-Homecoming), and Ohio State (Nov. 7). Beaver Stadium will host its 300th game when the Buckeyes visit for the always highly-anticipated clash between the border rivals.

For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and purchasing season tickets, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can call 1-800-648-8269 (1-800-NITTANY).